An assessment of global and regional emissions of trace metals to the atmosphere from anthropogenic sources worldwide

2001 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 269-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
J M Pacyna ◽  
E G Pacyna

An accurate and complete emission inventory for atmospheric trace metals on a global scale is needed for both modeler community and policy makers to assess the current level of environmental contamination by these pollutants, major emission sources and source regions, and the contribution of the atmospheric pathway to the contamination of terrestrial and aquatic environments. Major progress has been made in assessing emissions of trace metals in various countries and even regions, e.g., Europe, since the first global emission estimate for these pollutants was made by Nriagu and Pacyna (1988). These improved national and regional emission inventories have been used in this work to assess the global trace metal emissions from anthropogenic sources in the mid-1990s. The results of this work conclude that stationary fossil fuel combustion continues to be the major source of Cr, Hg, Mn, Sb, Se, Sn, and Tl with respect to the coal combustion and the major source of Ni and V with respect to oil combustion. Combustion of leaded, low-leaded, and unleaded gasoline continues to be the major source of atmospheric Pb emissions. The third major source of trace metals is non-ferrous metal production, which is the largest source of atmospheric As, Cd, Cu, In, and Zn. The largest anthropogenic emissions of atmospheric trace metals were estimated in Asia. This can be explained by growing demands for energy in the region and increasing industrial production. As a result, the Asian emissions are not only larger than the emissions on other continents, but also show an increasing trend. Another factor contributing to high emissions in Asia is the efficiency of emission control, which is lower than in Europe and North America. Concerning the two latter continents, emissions of trace metals show a decreasing tendency over the last two decades. Key words: anthropogenic sources, atmospheric emissions, trace metals, global emission inventory

1995 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jozef M. Pacyna ◽  
M. Trevor Scholtz ◽  
Y.-F. (Arthur) Li

Global emission inventories, being the key information for the global budgets of trace metals, have become available only recently. The latest information on emissions and sources of trace metals on a global scale is presented in this paper. As the global assessments are prepared on the basis of estimates of regional emissions, these latter data are also reviewed here. A comparison of the worldwide atmospheric emissions from natural and anthropogenic sources suggests that various human activities are the dominant source of many trace metals, including As, Cd, Pb, and Zn. A comparison of the atmospheric and aquatic emissions indicates that, for most of the trace metals, the annual anthropogenic inputs into water exceed the quantities emitted to the atmosphere. However, the largest quantities of trace metals are discharged to the terrestrial environment. So far, the Pb budget seems to be the most accurate owing to a large body of information available on this element. The largest emissions of Pb were estimated for gasoline combustion, contributing about two thirds of the total emissions to the atmosphere. Emissions from nonferrous metal production contributed about one quarter. Emissions from the European and Asian sources contributed each about one third of the global emissions, followed by emissions from sources in North America. A spatial distribution of the global Pb emissions is presented within a 1 × 1° grid system.Key words: trace metals, lead, global emission, emission map.


1999 ◽  
Vol 1 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jos G.J. Olivier ◽  
Jan Pieter J. Bloos ◽  
Jan J.M. Berdowski ◽  
Antoon J.H. Visschedijk ◽  
Alex F. Bouwman

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 17491-17541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Zhang ◽  
N. Mahowald ◽  
R. Scanza ◽  
E. Journet ◽  
K. Desboeufs ◽  
...  

Abstract. Trace element deposition from desert dust has important impacts on ocean primary productivity. In this study, emission inventories for 8 elements, which are primarily of soil origin, Mg, P, Ca, Mn, Fe, K, Al, and Si were determined based on a global mineral dataset and a soils dataset. Datasets of elemental fractions were used to drive the desert dust model in the Community Earth System Model (CESM) in order to simulate the elemental concentrations of atmospheric dust. Spatial variability of mineral dust elemental fractions was evident on a global scale, particularly for Ca. Simulations of global variations in the Ca / Al ratio, which typically ranged from around 0.1 to 5.0 in soil sources, were consistent with observations, suggesting this ratio to be a good signature for dust source regions. The simulated variable fractions of chemical elements are sufficiently different that estimates of deposition should include elemental variations, especially for Ca, Al and Fe. The model results have been evaluated with observational elemental aerosol concentration data from desert regions and dust events in non-dust regions, providing insights into uncertainties in the modeling approach. The ratios between modeled and observed elemental fractions ranged from 0.7 to 1.6 except for 3.4 and 3.5 for Mg and Mn, respectivly. Using the soil data base improved the correspondence of the spatial hetereogeneity in the modeling of several elements (Ca, Al and Fe) compared to observations. Total and soluble dust associated element fluxes into different ocean basins and ice sheets regions have been estimated, based on the model results. Annual inputs of soluble Mg, P, Ca, Mn, Fe and K associated with dust using mineral dataset were 0.28 Tg, 16.89 Gg, 1.32 Tg, 22.84 Gg, 0.068 Tg, and 0.15 Tg to global oceans and ice sheets.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 489-500
Author(s):  
Andrea Valente ◽  
◽  
David Atkinson ◽  

This study aimed to investigate the conditions in which Bitcoin has developed as a leading cryptocurrency and, according to Nakamoto (2008), could become an instrument for everyday payments around the world. In comparison to other digital payment solutions, Bitcoin is based on a peer-to-peer electronic cash system using “the blockchain”. This innovative technology allows for decentralised storage and movement of currency in a fully anonymous way, introducing advantageous methods for encrypted security and faster transactions (Hagiu & Beach, 2014). Scepticism regards Bitcoin’s foundation, energy consumption and price volatility, however, did not take long to arise (Holthaus, 2017). Ten years from its white paper release, Bitcoin is further supported by the same drivers which could sustain its growth as the future of digital payments (Russo, 2018). In order to investigate the key drivers and feasibility of acceptance, a London based survey was used to understand the desirability of Bitcoin as a day-to-day tool for digital payments. Additionally, this research analysed Bitcoin’s stakeholders and forecast drivers of sustainability for its application to become the future of the payment industry. A space which relies on policies that involve multiple layers of society, governments, regulators and tech-firms, all on a global scale. The findings confirmed how the increasing lack of trust of political and financial institutions, coupled with the increasing cases of data-breaches by tech-firms, encouraged over 70% of respondents to consider more decentralised and anonymous methods for their day-to-day actions; like payments. Policy makers need to cope with societies increasingly separating politically but gathering together digitally (LBS, 2017). For Bitcoin to truly establish itself as a global digital payment solution, key stakeholder acceptance must converge alongside the introduction of more robust regulation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heikki S. Lehtonen ◽  
Jyrki Aakkula ◽  
Stefan Fronzek ◽  
Janne Helin ◽  
Mikael Hildén ◽  
...  

AbstractShared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs), developed at global scale, comprise narrative descriptions and quantifications of future world developments that are intended for climate change scenario analysis. However, their extension to national and regional scales can be challenging. Here, we present SSP narratives co-developed with stakeholders for the agriculture and food sector in Finland. These are derived from intensive discussions at a workshop attended by approximately 39 participants offering a range of sectoral perspectives. Using general background descriptions of the SSPs for Europe, facilitated discussions were held in parallel for each of four SSPs reflecting very different contexts for the development of the sector up to 2050 and beyond. Discussions focused on five themes from the perspectives of consumers, producers and policy-makers, included a joint final session and allowed for post-workshop feedback. Results reflect careful sector-based, national-level interpretations of the global SSPs from which we have constructed consensus narratives. Our results also show important critical remarks and minority viewpoints. Interesting features of the Finnish narratives compared to the global SSP narratives include greater emphasis on environmental quality; significant land abandonment in SSPs with reduced livestock production and increased plant-based diets; continued need for some farm subsidies across all SSPs and opportunities for diversifying domestic production under scenarios of restricted trade. Our results can contribute to the development of more detailed national long-term scenarios for food and agriculture that are both relevant for local stakeholders and researchers as well as being consistent with global scenarios being applied internationally.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio M. Vicente-Serrano ◽  
Raquel Nieto ◽  
Luis Gimeno ◽  
Cesar Azorin-Molina ◽  
Anita Drumond ◽  
...  

Abstract. We analyzed changes in surface relative humidity (RH) at the global scale from 1979 to 2014 using both observations and ERA-Interim dataset. We compared the variability and trends of RH with those of land evapotranspiration and ocean evaporation in moisture source areas across a range of selected regions worldwide. The sources of moisture for each particular region were identified by integrating different observational data and model outputs into a lagrangian approach. The aim was to account for the possible role of changes in air temperature over land, in comparison to sea surface temperature (SST), on RH variability. Results demonstrate a strong agreement between the interannual variability of RH and the interannual variability of precipitation and land evapotranspiration in regions with continentally-originated humidity. In contrast, albeit with the dominant positive trend of air temperature/SST ratio in the majority of the analyzed regions, the interannual variability of RH in the target regions did not show any significant correlation with this ratio over the source regions. Also, we did not find any significant association between the interannual variability of oceanic evaporation in the oceanic humidity source regions and RH in the target regions. Our findings stress the need for further investigation of the role of both dynamic and radiative factors in the evolution of RH over continental regions at different spatial scales.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Warrack ◽  
Mary Kang ◽  
Christian von Sperber

<p>Although observations show that anthropogenic phosphorus (P) can reach groundwater supplies, there has been no comprehensive evaluation of P in groundwater at the global scale. Additionally, there have been minimal studies on distributed sources, such as agriculture, and the effects of oil and gas activities on P contamination in groundwater are poorly understood. We compile and analyze 181,653 groundwater P concentrations from 13 government agencies and 8 individual research studies in 11 different countries in order to determine the extent of P pollution at the global scale. We find that every country with data has groundwater P concentrations that pose a significant risk of eutrophication to surface waters. In Canada and the United States, we study the relationship between land use, focusing on crop/pastureland, and increased P concentrations in groundwater. In Ontario and Alberta, two Canadian provinces with different histories of oil and gas development, we find areas with a high concentration of P groundwater pollution to coincide with regions of intense oil and gas activity. Understanding the effects of anthropogenic sources on phosphorus contamination of groundwater and identifying all possible pathways through which contamination can occur will assist regulators in planning and implementing effective strategies to manage groundwater and surface water quality and sustain ecosystem health.</p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 727 ◽  
pp. 138654 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamid Rajabi ◽  
Mojgan Hadi Mosleh ◽  
Parthasarathi Mandal ◽  
Amanda Lea-Langton ◽  
Majid Sedighi

2019 ◽  
Vol 247 ◽  
pp. 745-751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yulong Yan ◽  
Rumei Li ◽  
Lin Peng ◽  
Chao Yang ◽  
Chenglong Liu ◽  
...  

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